Fostering a relationship-rich environment in the interdisciplinary classroom

Relationships in multiple forms have been shown to be central to the undergraduate experience. In this chapter, I draw upon my experiences of teaching both in secondary and higher education, and in particular my experiences teaching on LSE’s flagship interdisciplinary course, LSE100, to argue that the interdisciplinary classroom can provide a unique opportunity for an inclusive relationship-rich environment to be cultivated for all students and not just a privileged few. To make this argument, I consider the practical ways in which social learning activities and tools can help to foster such an environment before considering the role that emotion can play in the relationship-building process. The chapter concludes with a discussion of pedagogical challenges and hurdles that may develop through the adoption of this approach and a consideration of ways in which some of these challenges might be overcome.